Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) (Expressions of Interest and Request for Information)

THIS IS AN EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI) AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. No solicitation is available. This notice is released pursuant to FAR Part 10 and FAR 15.201, Exchanges with Industry, for the purpose of conducting market research.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is currently in the pre-solicitation phase for a contractor to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). DOE expects to award a new contract during the last quarter of fiscal year 2027 which is expected to include a 60-day transition period.

ORISE is a DOE Office of Science (SC) asset dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the Department and its laboratory system. The ORISE mission is to develop people and solutions to strengthen our nation’s competitive advantage in science.

ORISE focuses on scientific initiatives to develop the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals through education and research participation programs; promote and elevate the quality of DOE funded research by facilitating peer and merit reviews; facilitate the Department’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Human Subjects Working Group activities, providing information on long-term health outcomes from current and former workers; ensure readiness and respond to radiation medical emergencies through the operation of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REACT/S); and provide independent assessment and verification for environmental cleanup, thus enabling DOE’s protection of workers and the public.

The purpose of this notice is to (1) request expressions of interest from interested parties and (2) request information from interested parties regarding perceived barriers to competition associated with this acquisition. This market research will assist SC with identifying and minimizing barriers to competition, identifying and mitigating risks, and identifying appropriate Request for Proposals (RFP) terms and conditions.

Responses to this notice should include the following information as appropriate and applicable:

1. Prospective offerors business name, including parent and member organizations
2. Point of contact, including a telephone number and an email address
3. Business size (e.g., large, small, 8a, etc.)
4. Nature of proposing entity (e.g., joint venture, limited liability corporation, etc.)
5. Interest as being either a prime or subcontractor
6. The Department may utilize the EOI’s received in response to this notice to publicize a list of parties interested in this acquisition. Indicate whether or not you would like to be included on a list of interested parties made available to the public. Your organization will not be listed unless you furnish your agreement. If agreement is provided, unless otherwise noted, the published list will include the prospective offeror’s name, point of contact, telephone number, email address, and interest as being either a prime or subcontractor.  
7. Brief description of your capabilities
8. Due to the preliminary stage of this acquisition, only a draft Statement of Work (SOW) is currently available, which is attached for information only. Please review and identify sections of the SOW that may give your business pause in responding to a subsequent RFP. Provide suggestions on how the assessment criteria for such sections could be structured to make your business more competitive.
9. Describe any other concerns you perceive as barriers or significant risks that would prevent qualified companies from submitting a proposal to a subsequent RFP.
10. Based on the concerns identified above, describe any suggestions that could help mitigate those perceived barriers or significant risks. Also, describe any perceived barriers or significant risks you might perceive as too difficult to reasonably mitigate (if any). 
11. Identify any information that would be pertinent to provide to interested parties to promote a better understanding of the requirements.

All interested parties are invited to submit a response to this notice. Interested parties are not required to respond to all items. Submissions can include responses to one or all of the items above. While there is no specific format required, responses should be no more than five (5) pages with a font no smaller than size 12. Responses should be submitted to ORISEcompetition@doe.gov. The subject of the email should read “EOI / RFI”. Submissions in response to this notice do not commit an interested party to submit a proposal, nor does failure to submit a response preclude an interested party from submitting a proposal. Responses should be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 7, 2026.              

DOE reserves the right to use any and all information submitted by, or obtained from, an interested party in any manner DOE determines is appropriate, including, but not limited to, the creation of a competitive solicitation. Interested parties should not include any classified, business confidential, and/or proprietary information in their responses. DOE personnel may contact parties responding to this notification to clarify responses as part of this market research process.

DOE is committed to ensuring a fair, full and open, collaborative, and transparent solicitation process. Future information regarding the solicitation, including questions and answers, if appropriate, will be posted on the competition website at https://science.osti.gov/Acquisition-Management/ContractCompetitions. This website will be the primary distribution medium used to disseminate information relating to this competition as it becomes available. Offerors are responsible for frequently monitoring the website for information, notices, and updates regarding the solicitation.

DOE looks forward to engaging with the community, industry, and other interested parties in a transparent and collaborative manner throughout the solicitation process for a contractor to manage ORISE.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO AWARD A CONTRACT AT THIS TIME.